1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to decoys useful for attracting animals such as flying birds.
2. Brief Description of the Related Prior Art
I am not aware of any prior art which is the same as my invention or which provides all of the benefits thereof, however, prior art related to the present invention can be found in U.S. classification 043, subclass 3.
A specific example of a related prior art device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,448 issued to L. Jackson. The Jackson decoy includes wings (simulated wings) of a duck or goose which are pivotally linked to the decoy body and physically moved by a battery powered motor in order to provide the appearance of flapping wings to other birds such as ducks or geese flying overhead.
Another specific example of a related prior art device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,619 issued to J. Stancil. The Stancil decoy includes panel or vane like wings (simulated wings) of a duck or goose which are pivotally mounted on support arms mountable to a decoy body and physically moved by either the wind or a battery powered motor in order to provide the appearance of flapping wings to viewing birds. The Stancil panel like structure used to simulate wings includes light and dark areas which when moved, in a rotating fashion by the wind or a motor, present the appearance of wing flapping.
While actual movement as in the Jackson and Stancil decoys is effective at attracting the attention of birds, the motor and linkage arrangements are relatively expensive to manufacture, subject to wear and jamming, and actual movement when motor driven requires significant electrical power consumption which limits the length of time the decoy can operate due to a fairly rapid battery drain.
The present invention can be viewed as a method, method and device or structural arrangement (device) to create the illusion of wing movement or to intensify the appearance of actual movement of a bird decoy by illuminating, with an electric illuminant(s), a surface in a strobing On/Off or light colored illumination followed by a darker colored illumination in a cyclical manner. My strobe light arrangement can be utilized on a decoy basically having no moving parts. Alternatively the strobe light arrangement can also be used to intensify the appearance of physical movement, such as the movement in prior art style simulated wings as in Stancil type decoys, by blinking on a moving surface thereof, the blinking preferably, but not required, being timed to the movement so the light is On when a lighter appearing side is facing up or the wing is raised. Strobe lighting of the surface causes a light then dark appearance, repeated cyclically, which apparently appears to ducks, geese (waterfowl) and other birds as wings flapping, thus further ensuring that the decoy is in fact a real bird, which hopefully results in the viewing bird or birds flying closer in and into camera or gun range. A method according to the invention of simulating flapping wing motion in a bird attracting decoy includes illuminating a wing simulating structure to a first level of brightness for simulating an appearance of raised wings or wings in a first position, and then reducing the level of brightness from the first level for simulating an appearance of lowered wings or wings in a second position, and repeating the illumination to the first level and followed by reducing the level of brightness; the levels of brightness preferably achieved by using electric powered light emitters, preferably LEDs, preferably super bright white LEDs, the LEDs switched between illuminated and nonilluminated states, xe2x80x9cOn and Off statesxe2x80x9d, for the raising and lowering of the illumination brightness on the wing simulating structure. xe2x80x9cLEDxe2x80x9d is short for light emitting diode, with xe2x80x9cLEDsxe2x80x9d meaning plural such diodes. The use of LEDs as the light emitters provides for very low electric power consumption and thus greatly extended battery life; high durability and long life due to the absence of a delicate wire filament; and LEDs come in a selection of various colors including white, red, amber and green which can be used with a wide variety of colors applied on the simulated wings with some colors being potentially more attractive to certain bird species.
The present invention is inexpensive to manufacture, consumes very little electrical power, is dependable in operation and versatile in use, i.e., used on either stationary simulated wings or moving simulated wings.